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Originally Posted by HisNameIsHarley  Giardia is nasty business. It's a common parasite usually passed through water that causes extreme diarrhea. It is treatable w/ medication but is messy and no fun. If you have multiple dogs it can sometimes be hard to beat because the parasite is passed through their stool as well and therefore if ingested in any way will continue it's cycle in the animals intestines. It's obviously not limited to dogs only. A lot of hikers get giardia from drinking from springs or rivers. Your vet can do a simple snap test w/ a fecal to determine if your pet is positive for the parasite or not and then prescribe the appropriate medication. |
Definitely NOT fun!! It is a parasite and it is primarily passed along by feces of birds. It breeds in standing water, though your pup can get it if they walk across even old, dried looking bird poop and then lick their feet!!
It is my understanding that the pup never really getes rids of it and will always be a carrier. Stress can make it flare big time. Many dogs will also become anorexic during an extreme flare. Dehydration is a concern when the diarrhea takes over. It can be explosive and full of blood as well.
I don't mean to alarm you, but Sissy had a very bad case of Giardia at 9 months old. We were at the vet 3 times within 5 days for sub-Q hydration and different meds and I was giving her Pedialyte by syringe every hour. It took about a month of treatment before she finally tested negative. She did experience some anorexic behavior and stopped eating kibble at this time (which is how I began cooking for her). I really believe her daily breakfast of organic whole milk yogurt with 6 active, live cultures has helped keep her system healthy.